FAQ

 

- Which days of the week do you teach?

  • Teaching, along with performing, is my full time job so I teach throughout the week for the most part. The main days I teach currently are Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays. I do Sundays instead of Tuesdays simply because more students have been available on Sundays in the past and to give students a weekend option.

- Is there a specific time range that you teach?

  • It varies a bit, but mainly afternoons and evenings on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and morning through afternoon on Sundays.

- Where do you teach?

  • I teach primarily at Up Tempo Music in Beaverdale. Up Tempo is a top notch local music store and I’m proud to have been associated with them for 8+ years. Up Tempo is located at 2714 Beaver Ave, Des Moines, IA, 50310. At the beginning of Summer 2019, we opened a separate lesson facility, across the street from the actual store, nestled right in the same Beaverdale neighborhood (2629 Beaver Ave, S15, Des Moines, IA, 50310). This is where all my lessons are being held now and going forward. I do also offer in-home lessons for those who find that works better for them and their family (Inquire about prices for in-home lessons). 

- For guitar/bass/ukulele, do you teach via tablature or musical notation?

  • The answer to this is somewhere in between. A large amount of available written music for guitar and bass these days in written out in tablature, and tablature can be a very useful tool, so I make sure my students understand how to read and play it. However, the value of traditional musical notation cannot be overstated, so I really like my students to understand how to read that too. I do generally start students out with tab, because it’s a lot more accessible at the beginning of your journey. A decent subset of students decide they are happy with sticking with tab, and that they would rather not go down the road of learning traditional notation, which is completely fine. Though it is an option, and one that I will encourage. 

- What if I want to learn more than one instrument at once?

  • This can be a challenging thing to do, but if you have a musical background, and are willing to put the practice time in, it can certainly be done. Throughout the years I have had students who have studied guitar and bass simultaneously, or guitar and ukulele, just as examples. These students would usually either alternate instruments every other week, or take an hour lesson weekly and spend a half hour of the lesson on each instrument. This can have a synergistic effect, as learning multiple instruments can help you greater understand music from a variety of angles.

- I’m really busy, what if I only have time for a lesson every other week?

  • I have had students do this from time to time, though it’s not my top recommendation. This would be an hour lesson every other week, I don’t offer half hour lessons every other week as it’s simply not enough facetime to get the full benefit of lessons. If you have a crazy schedule, I understand, and we can work this out. 

- Do you work mainly with a specific age range? 

  • Absolutely not; I’ve had students as young as 6 years old, and students in their upper 70s. ANY age is a great age to learn a new instrument!

- Do you teach a specific style(s) of music?

  • Nope, I have taught a variety of eclectic styles throughout the years. The general building blocks of music are the same everywhere you look, and I strive to help my students understand the components of what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, rather than just recreating something on a page. Learning music that way will help you be able to transition to other styles of music without issue. 

- How long will it take me to learn an instrument?

  • There is no one answer for this, it entirely varies from student to student. The factors that go into this are practice time, lesson preparedness, and having the right instructor to see where you need to improve as well as how to improve upon those ideas. Music is really a never-ending journey. One of my favorite analogies for music is a room with multiple doors, and when you walk through one of these doors, you find yourself in a room with even more doors. This continues as you progress as a musician, and is one of the most rewarding and intriguing things about music!

- If I’m a parent signing up my child for lessons, am I able to sit in on the lessons?

  • Absolutely, I have extra seating in my lesson room, and you are of course welcome to sit in on the lessons whenever you’d like. If you’d like to sit and wait elsewhere, we have a waiting area with seating. If you’d like to run errands during your child’s lesson, no problem at all, we have a private facility in an excellent neighborhood and your child’s safety will be guaranteed. 

- How much practice should I be doing every week?

  • There is not one right answer for this question either, but a general rule is the more frequently you touch your instrument the better. For example, 15-20 minutes a day will net you more progress than an hour and a half practice session once per week, generally. For young children, 15 minutes a day is a great goal. For older kids and adults, shoot for 30 minutes a day if you’re able and you will certainly see quick progress. If you are struggling with something in particular, the hard answer is almost always - MORE PRACTICE!

- Do you do recitals?

  • It has been a couple of years since we’ve done a recital at Up Tempo, though we are in planning to bring recitals back this year. We are looking at possibly having one Winter 2019. Recitals can be a very valuable experience for students to get to perform in front of an audience, and we plan to get back into a regular recital rotation.